Process for draining and densifying cheese curd

ABSTRACT

Whey is drained and curd is densified by a process wherein a mixture of whey and curd is pumped into a vertical channel and upward through the channel into a substantially contiguous curd vessel against the action of a weighted piston movable in the vessel. The channel is imperforate except at the junction between the channel and the curd vessel, where whey is continuously allowed to drain off. When the curd vessel has been filled, a rotating cutter plate cuts off the slice of curd in the curd vessel from the remaining curd ribbon in the channel and then froms a supporting bottom for the curd vessel as it is rotated to an unloading position. The curd is thus kept under pressure and is not allowed to relax and draw bacteria-contaminated air into it.

United States Patent [191 Bronkhorst et al. Jan. 7, 1975 [54] PROCESS FOR DRAINING AND 3,559,287 2/1971 Bronkhorst 99/458 DENSIFYING CHEESE CURD 3,606,683 9/197] Joux et al. 426/49] [75] Inventors: Armand Francois Bronkhorst,

Doo W e m d ig H c Primary Examiner-David M. Naff Ernst wllldemann, Drlebergen, Attorney, Agent. or Firm-Cushman, Darby & both of Netherlands (j hm [73] Assignee: i lolvrieka International N.V.,

Utrecht, Netherlands [221 Filed: Sept. 4, 1973 [57] ABSTRACT PP -I 39 ,246 Whey is drained and curd is densified by a process Related Application Data wherein a mixture of whey and curd is pumped into a [62] Division of Ser No 125 217 March 17 1971 P t vertical channel and upward through the channel into NO 3 774 304 a substantially contiguous curd vessel against the ac tion of a weighted piston movable in the vessel. The 30 F t channel is imperforate except at the unction between f i z Prmmy Da 3 the channel and the curd vessel, where whey is continl 0 er ands 7003851 uously allowed to drain off. When the curd vessel has been filled, a rotating cutter plate cuts off the slice of [52] '"li' "a 352 4 gg curd in the curd vessel from the remaining curd rib- 51 I t Cl l 19 02 bon in the channel and then froms a supporting boti tom for the curd vessel as it is rotated to an unloading l 0 can position. The curd is thus kept under pressure and is not allowed to relax and draw bacteria-contaminated [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1 Claim 2 Drawing Figures 9 3,54l,686 11/1970 Koopmans 426/491 PATENTED 7 I975 3, 859 ,453

sum 2 or 2 PROCESS FOR DRAINING AND DENSIFYING CHEESE CURD This is a division, of application Ser. No. 125,217 filed Mar. 17, 1971, now US. Pat. No. 3,774,304.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for draining and densifying curd from a mixture of whey and curd.

A known process comprises raising the curd composition in a vertical channel by means ofa pump, forcing curd at the upper end of the channel into a curd vessel passing said end, shearing off the curd ribbon at the upper end of the channel after the curd holder has been filled, and moving the curd holder to a position superjacent to a cheese receptacle, into which the curd vessel is discharged. ln this prior arrangement, a portion of the whey is separated from the curd in a separate vessel, and another portion is discharged from the lower end of the vertical channel, for which purpose said lower end is provided with a plurality of outlets. The curd composition raised in the channel is densified owing to the resistance between the channel wall and the curd composition, on the one hand, and owing to the weight of the composition, on the other, which factors act against the pressure from the pump, and is eventually pressed into the curd vessel via the upper end of the channel. When the curd vessel has been filled it is pivoted about a shaft outside the channel but parallel to the axis of the latter from the upper end of the channel to a cheese receptacle, where it is emptied,

during which movement a bottom is provided by a separate carrying plate. Since the channel is periodically open at the top, the curd composition can relax during the periodic release of pump pressure, which results in air from the ambient atmosphere being drawn into the curd composition, whereby undesirable bacteria may be entrained into the air pockets being formed in the curd composition.

Consequently, the cheese produced by this prior pro cess does not satisfy the severe requirements of quality.

It is an object of the present invention to improve the process as described above, and thereby to produce cheese of an excellent quality.

According to the invention there is provided a process for draining and densifying curd from a mixture of curd and whey, which comprises raising the curd composition in a vertical channel by means of a pump, forcing the curd at the upper end of said channel into at least one curd vessel passing said end, separating the curd in said vessel from the curd ribbon at the upper end of the channel when said curd vessel has been filled, moving the curd vessel to a position superjacent to a cheese receptacle, and emptying the curd vessel into said cheese receptacle, the improvement being that the whey is discharged in the first place and continuously at the level of the boundary plane between the upper end of the channel and the lower end of the curd vessel, the curd being loaded by a compression member in both the vertical channel and the curd vessel.

It is thus achieved that the channel is filled with the mixture of whey and curd up to the top, so that no air can penetrate between the curd particles. Furthermore, as a result of the compression ofthe curd as the mixture is raised, the whey moves towards the channel wall, along which it moves to the discharge level, so that when the composition reaches the upper end of the channel the curd has been freed from whey to a substantial extent. By virtue of the fact that the curd ribbon is forced upwardly into the curd vessel against the action of the pressure member, not only is the remaining whey discharged, but the curd composition in the curd vessel is prevented from relaxing during the transfer to the discharging position, and no air is drawn into the curd, the particles of which are more and more fused together. When the curd in the channel relaxes, the entry of air is prevented by the whey, which is present in the channel up to its upper end. On the other hand, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, as will be described hereinafter, the curd is prevented from relaxing.

There is thus produced a highly homogeneous cheese composition, free from infectious germs and air, and hence an excellent quality of the final product.

The invention also provides an apparatus for draining and densifying curd from a mixture of whey and curd, which comprises means for supplying a mixture of whey and curd, a vertical channel in which said mixture can be raised by means of a pump, at least one curd vessel at the top of said channel, said curd vessel being pivotable about a shaft located outside, and parallel to the axis of, the channel for movement from a position in which it can be filled from the channel to a position in which it can be discharged into a cheese receptacle, and vice versa, the channel being provided with means for discharging whey, the improvement being that the channel is arranged for discharging whey in the first place and continuously at the level of the boundary plane between the upper end of the channel and the lower end of the curd vessel, and that the apparatus comprises a compression member movable up and down for subjecting curd in said curd vessel to a compressive load.

Accordingly the upper edge of the channel constitutes the means along which the whey can freely flow away, while the effect of the compression member is controllable by varying its weight.

According to a further feature of the invention, a cutter plate may be arranged in said boundary plane, which is also pivotable about said shaft, and the cutting edge of which is preferably formed by the edge of an opening, whose configuration, size, and distance to the shaft correspond with those of the upper end of the channel and of the cheese receptacle, which plate may have such dimensions that during the movement of the curd vessel it closes the upper end of the channel, so as to prevent relaxation of the curd present therein. It is thus also achieved that the curd ribbon is smoothly cut and does not acquire a rough surface, as is the case when it is sheared off.

It should be noted that a compression member mounted for up and down movement for compressing curd in a perforate curd raising channel is known per se.

One embodiment of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is a longitudinal section through the curd draining device according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partly diagrammatic plan view.

The curd draining device for carrying out the method according to the invention consists of a vertically disposed tube 1 having an imperforate wall defining a curd raising channel. The lower part 2 of this tube is funnelshaped, and the narrow end thereof is connected to a Root type pump 3 having two rotors 4,5. The mixture of curd and whey is supplied through a duct 6 froma reservoir not shown. At the upper end, tube 1 is bounded by a horizontal edge 7. In the example shown, this edge is ofcircular shape, corresponding to the cross-sectional Configuration of tube 1. Naturally the tube and the upper edge may have a square, rectangular, or other shape.

The edge 7 defines the level at which curd can flow away.

Spaced a short distance above edge 7 is a circular tion from the vertical channel, one of the vessels is in register with the opening in the cutter plate. When a sufficient quantity of curd has been loaded in the vessel, the cutter plate rotates rapidly from position 9 to position 10, whereby a disk 13 is smoothly cut off from the curd ribbon, the edge of the opening functioning as cutting edge.

In order to densify the curd composition still further, and hence to squeeze out remaining whey and prevent the penetration of air, a compression plate 14 is mounted for up and down movement in each curd vessel, which plate can be loaded by a given weight 15. A vertical rod 17 is mounted centrally on the top of each plate 14 and carries a dish l6 for receiving a weight at the top. Each rod is guided in a sleeve 18 carried by a radial arm 19 extending from central sleeve 20. This sleeve is fitted onto portion 22 of shaft 21, extending above cutter plate 8, and is driven stepwise in one peripheral direction by means of a gear not shown, the curd vessels rotating along with it. Cutter plate 8, on the other hand, is oscillated between positions 9 and 10, shaft 21 being oscillated by a drive gear not shown. When a slice of curd has been cut off, the opening of cutter plate 8 is in position 10, channel 1 being closed by the imperforate part of the cutter plate, so that there can be no issuance of curd and pressure is maintained therein. The vessel just filled from the channel then moves into register with the opening in the cutter plate to drop its contents throughsaid'opening into a cheese mould 27. After this the cutter plate rotates back into position 9, and the other curd vessel will be filled.

A whey collecting dish 23 is disposed at the upper end of the device for collecting wheyflowing over the edge 7 as well as whey subseq ntly .fsqueezed out of the curd composition. The troti'h-shaped edge 24 of dish 23 extends around the outer circumference 25 of cutter plate 8, while the sloping bottom of the whey collecting dish, also formed with a trough, surrounds the upper end of--the channel and is provided with an opening at the position where the curd vessels are discharged. A whey discharge tube 26 is connected to the lowest point of dish 23.

The cheese moulds 27 are supplied on a conveyorbelt 28, shown diagrammatically, on which they are transported further after being filled. The conveyor-belt is arranged to operate intermittently and to supply a series of cheese moulds (not shown) in succession for stepwise, continuous operation of the apparatus according to the invention.

It will be clear that the curd draining device can be modified in structural respects in various minor points without departing from the scope of the invention.

Thus the compression plates may be perforated to allow the escape of air which may be present under the compression plate 14 during the densification of the curd composition in the curd vessel, and to prevent imperfections'in the crust of the cheese subsequently formed. To prevent curd from being pressed through the perforations, a finemesh nylon gauze is stretched at some distance below the compression plate, for ex- 1. A process for densifying curd from a mixture of I curd and whey comprising pumping a mixture of curd and whey into the bottom of an imperforate'vertical channel and. passing the mixture upward through the channel whereby curd is densitied during its passage through the inperforate channel, transferring the densified curd, under force, from the upper end of the channel into at least one curd vessel and, after the curd vessel is filled, cutting and separating the curd transferred into the curd vessel from the curd remaining in the channel at a boundary plane between the upper end of the vertical channel and the lower end of the curd vessel,

the curd vessel being pivotable in a horizontal circular course on an axis parallel to the axis of the channel for movement from a position in which it is filled from the channel to a position for discharge into a cheese receptacle and vice versa, separating and discharging the whey substantially continuously from the level of the boundary plane between the upper end of the vertical channel and the lower end of the curd vessel, subjecting the curd to a compressive load in the vertical channel and the curd vessel, forcing the curd upwardly to the curd vessel, while the vessel is positioned above the upper end of the vertical channel, pivoting the filled curd vessel to a position remote from the upper end of the vertical channel and discharging the compressed curd into a cheese receptacle. 

1. A PROCESS FOR DENSIFYING CURD FROM A MIXTURE OF CURD AND WHEY COMPRISING PUMPING A MIXTURE OF CURD AND WHEY INTO THE BOTTOM OF SAID IMPERFORATE VERTICAL CHANNEL AND PASSING THE MIXTURE UPWARD THROUGH THE CHANNEL WHEREBY CURD IS DENSIFIED DURING ITS PASSAGE THROUGH THE IMPERFORATE CHANNEL, TRANSFERRING THE DENSIFIED CURD, UNDER FORCE, FROM THE UPPER END OF THE CHANNEL INTO AT LEAST ONE CURD VESSEL AND, AFTER THE CURD VESSEL IS FILLED, CUTTING AND SEPARATING THE CURD TRANSFERRED INTO THE CURD VESSEL FROM THE CURD REMAINING IN THE CHANNEL AT A BOUNDARY PLANE BETWEEN THE UPPER END OF THE VERTICAL CHANNEL AND THE LOWER END OF THE CURD VESSEL THE CURD VESSEL BEING PIVOTABLE IN A HORIZONTAL CIRCULAR COURSE ON AN AXIS PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF THE CHANNEL FOR MOVEMENT FROM A POSITION IN WHICH IT IS FILLED FROM THE CHANNEL TO A POSITION FOR DISCHARGE INTO A CHEESE RECEPTACLE AND VICE VERSA, SEPARATING AND DISCHARGING THE WHEY SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUSLY FROM THE LEVEL OF THE BOUNDARY PLANE BETWEEN THE UPPER END OF THE VERTICAL CHANNEL AND THE LOWER END OF THE CURD VESSEL, SUBJECTING THE CURD TO A COMPRESSIVE LOAD IN THE VERTICAL CHANNEL AND THE CURD VESSEL, FORCING THE CURD UPWARDLY TO THE CURD VESSEL WHILE THE VESSEL IS POSITIONED ABOVE THE UPPER END OF THE VERTICAL CHANNEL, PIVOTING THE FILLED CURD VESSEL TO A POSITION REMOTE FROM THE UPPER END OF THE VERTICAL CHANNEL AND DISCHARGING THE COMPRESSED CURD INTO A CHEESE RECEPTACLE. 